The Weight Unveil New Tracks

March 9, 2009

Brooklyn-by-way-of-Georgia rockers The Weight are almost ready to unveil their new record. Four brand new tracks were recently added to the band’s Myspace page, and they are nothing short of glorious.

The textbook punk-influenced country of The Weight’s first record Ten Mile Grace was quickly replaced with anthemic American rock-and-roll on last year’s Are Men. This new batch of songs is familiar enough, with plenty of pedal steel and Southern heartache, but the band has definitely established their own sound. Everything is soaked in just the right amount of reverb, and front man Joseph Plunket has officially arrived as a songwriter.

A line like “I don’t get that shit for free, so baby quit texting me,” would be slightly absurd in any other song, but in prospect single “Coca Cola” Plunket follows it with, “A penny for your thoughts, no that wouldn’t be a problem/You got your problems honey, don’t charge them to me.” Part of The Weight’s charm lies in Plunket’s sharp wit and penchant for humor, but the light-heartedness is always properly balanced with strong songwriting.

Perhaps my favorite thing about The Weight is that they are a lot of fun. The band’s live shows are notorious for turning into giant drunken parties, and the right amount of that atmosphere bleeds into these new tracks. Having recently signed to New York’s own Tee Pee Records, the band will surely get larger distribution for the new record than they did with Are Men, which was partially self-released through homegrown Brooklyn label Colonel Records.

Start stockpiling your refrigerator with Budweiser, because when this thing comes out you will be partying for quite a while.